LATEST ADDITIONS

Ears On
Open-Source CD Database May Die
Mark Fleischmann  |  Jul 10, 2006
Freedb, a key player in open-source CD databases, has succumbed to tensions among its founders. The site is still up but its future is uncertain. If you didn't already know, CD databases provide metadata lookup services to the likes of iTunes and the Windows Media Player, enabling them to display artist, song, album, genre, etc. Without them your iPod would not be nearly as versatile at organizing music. The grandpappy of them all was CDDB, founded in 1993 as a volunteer-driven project. When CDDB went commercial in 2000 as Gracenote, Freedb and other groups split off to maintain their own open-source databases on a nonprofit basis. The open-source services appear most often in PC-based software including rippers, taggers, and players other than iTunes and WMP. Freedb is also used by AudioReQuest, a consumer-level high-end server product. Freedb is survived by Musicbrainz, another open-source database. The biggest commercial databases are All Music Guide's LASSO (used by Windows Media Player and MusicMatch) and the category-leading Gracenote (used by iTunes).
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Audio Video News
Screen of Screams
Darryl Wilkinson  |  Jul 10, 2006
Authentic Ltd says their new ASS-60AK Speaker Screen can produce high-quality sound directly from the screen itself - and do it without causing any degradation in picture quality.
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Power Amplifier Reviews
Parasound New Classic 5250 Amplifier: First Look
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Jul 10, 2006

<UL CLASS="square">
<LI>Price: $2,500</LI>
<LI>Channels/Power: Five channels; 250-Watts into 8 ohms/385-Watts into 4 ohms </LI>
<LI>Inputs: Single-ended</LI>
</UL>
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/706parasound5250.jpg" WIDTH=450 HEIGHT=245 BORDER=0>

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Power Amplifier Reviews
McIntosh MC207 Amplifier: First Look
 |  Jul 10, 2006

<UL CLASS="square">
<LI>Price: $7,600</LI>
<LI>Channels/Power: Seven channels; 200-Watts per channel into 8 ohms</LI>
<LI>Inputs: Single-ended and balanced</LI>
</UL>
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/706macmc207.jpg" WIDTH=270 HEIGHT=175 BORDER=0>

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Power Amplifier Reviews
Krell Showcase 5/6/7 Amplifier: First Look
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Jul 10, 2006

<UL CLASS="square">
<LI>Price: $5,000, $5,500 and $6,000, respectively for five, six and seven channels</LI>
<LI>Channels/Power: 5/6/7 channels; 125-Watts per channel into 8 ohms/250-Watts into 4 ohms</LI>
<LI>Inputs: Single-ended and balanced</LI>
</UL>
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/706krellshowamp.jpg" WIDTH=450 HEIGHT=205 BORDER=0>

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Power Amplifier Reviews
Integra Research RDA-7.1 Amplifier: First Look
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Jul 10, 2006

<UL CLASS="square">
<LI>Price: $5,000</LI>
<LI>Channels/Power: Seven channels; 150-Watts per channel into 8 ohms/300-Watts into 4 ohms</LI>
<LI>Inputs: Single-ended and balanced</LI>
</UL>
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/706integrarda71.jpg" WIDTH=450 HEIGHT=185 BORDER=0>

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Power Amplifier Reviews
Halcro MC50 Amplifier: First Look
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Jul 10, 2006

<UL CLASS="square">
<LI>Price: $5,990</LI>
<LI>Channels/Power: Five channels; 350-Watts per channel into 4 ohms </LI>
<LI>Inputs: Single-ended and balanced</LI>
</UL>
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/706halcromca50.jpg" WIDTH=450 HEIGHT=243 BORDER=0>

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Power Amplifier Reviews
Classe Audio CA-5200 Amplifier: First Look
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Jul 10, 2006

<UL CLASS="square">
<LI>Price: $8,000</LI>
<LI>Channels/Power: Five channels; 200-Watts per channel into 8 ohms/370-Watts into 4 ohms </LI>
<LI>Inputs: Single-ended and balanced</LI>
</UL>
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/706classe5200.jpg" WIDTH=450 HEIGHT=250 BORDER=0>

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Power Amplifier Reviews
Channel Islands Audio D-200 Amplifier: First Look
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Jul 10, 2006

<UL CLASS="square">
<LI>Price: $2,299/pr.</LI>
<LI>Channels/Power: Monoblock; 200-Watts per channel into 8 ohms/325-Watts into 4 ohms </LI>
<LI>Inputs: Single-ended or balanced</LI>
</UL>
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/706ciaD200.jpg" WIDTH=450 HEIGHT=241 BORDER=0>

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Power Amplifier Reviews
ATI AT1800 Series Amplifier: First Look
Ultimate AV Staff  |  Jul 10, 2006

<UL CLASS="square">
<LI>Price: $995-$1,995 (stereo unit $995, plus $200 per additional channel module)</LI>
<LI>Channels/Power: 2-7 channels; 180-Watts per channel into 8 ohms/270-Watts into 4 ohms</LI>
<LI>Inputs: Single-ended</LI>
</UL>
<IMG SRC="/images/archivesart/706ati1800.jpg" WIDTH=450 HEIGHT=231 BORDER=0>

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